Threshing-machine.



A. REASON.

THBESHING MACHINE. nrmouxon rmm AUG.23, 1909.

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Patented Apr. 18, 191

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT REASON, OF PONTIAC, MICHIGAN.

THRESHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911.

Application filed August 23, 1909. Serial No. 514,173.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT REASON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pontiac, county of Oakland, State of Michigan, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Threshing-Machines, and declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to threshing machines.

It has for its object an improved machine for threshing grains and forseparating the grain from the straw and chaff.

In the drawings :Figure 1, is a side elevation of the complete machine.Fig. 2, is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3, is a longitudinalhorizontal section with the cylinder in plan view. The section is alongline 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4;, is a detail side elevation of baffle rodsused in connection with the cylinder. Fig. 5, is a cross section ofone-half of the cylinder. Fig. (5, is a cross section of an adjustablebar which forms part of the concave.

In the threshing machine in which this invention is embodied thecylinder (socalled) or the shell turns on an axis that extendslengthwise of the main frame, and the cylinder itself increases indiameter from the front toward the rear. The concave corresponds, beingin shape of the part of a hollow cone with the small end toward thefront and the large end toward the rear. The straw from which the grainis to be threshed is fed into the cylinder and concave at the front end,which is the small end, and passes to the rear traveling around thecylinder which acts as a screw to force the straw along toward the rearof the machine while beating the grain out from it. The concave in thisconstruction serves to retard the travel of the straw and subject it tocomplete threshing action. The straw under treatment is subjected duringits passage to currents of air which are produced by fan structures thatform part of the frame of the cylinder, and after the grain has beenbeaten from the straw it is subjected to a winnowing machine that inaction differs very little from the ordinary winnowing machine.

The frame is mounted on wheels 1 for transportation and consists of ahousing 2,

central to which is a shaft 3 that extends from front to rear andcarries a threshing cylinder which is made in the form of the frustum ofa cone, except that it is made with bars as a skeleton and not as asolid conical structure. The small end of this frustum is toward thefront, and the frustum itself consists of bars l provided with teeth 5,each one of which is made in the form of a blade having its long axisarranged diagonally to the bar 4, and these teeth revolve in circlesthat cut close to similar teeth (3 mounted on the walls of the concave.

The teeth 6 are arranged in a spiral line around the walls of theconcave. At the forward quarter of the cylinder immediately under themouth 7 through which the grain is fed into the cylinder the bars areprovided with blades that are longer than the teeth 5 and whichpreferably are long enough to engage consecutive bars 4, these serve tocut and tear to pieces bands that are sometimes used to hold the strawin bundles, thus obviating the necessity of cutting the bands with aknife.

Motion is given to the cylinder by gear connections 8 and 9, of which 8is a miter gear on the end of the shaft 3, and 9 is a miter gear to thecounter-shaft 11 which is counter to the main driving shaft 12. Thespider at the front end of the cylinder which holds the bars 4 to theshaft 3 is provided with fan blades 17 that act to force at current ofair into the cylinder, and other fan blades 18 at the supporting spider19, and 20 at the supporting spider 21 that causes the air currenttotravel along the axis of the cylinder and the centrifugal action actingon the air causes it to escape between the bars through the straw whichis under treatment. At the rear of the cylinder a transverse skeletondrum 22 lifts the straw and carries it up to the top of the housingbefore it finally drops out at the tail of the machine. Longitudinal bar23 that forms part of the concave is mounted on a longitudinal axis andits teeth 24 swing around the axis of the bar which is actuated by ahand wheel 25, and its teeth may thus be adjusted with reference to theteeth on the cylinder, regulating the distance between the teeth on thisadjustable portion of the conof fingers 27, (long curved pieces ofmetal) that engage through the rib or bar 28, that forms part of thehousing and project into the housing and curve over the cylinder. Eachof the fingers 27 is provided at the part that engages through thehousing with a part that is arranged horizontally and serves as an axison which the fingers swing. The external part of the finger reaches tothe bar 26 and is pivoted thereto. The internal part of the fingercurves between and over the cylinder. The bar 26 is provided with ashort rack 30 and is actuated by a lever pinion 31, and the bar actuatedby the pinion serves to swing the fingers so that they may assume aposition extending directly across the axis of the cylinder as shown inFig. 3, or with their rising partinclined to the axis as shown in Fig.4, or in any position intermediate the two. When these fingers are inthe position shown in Fig. 3 they offer the least impediment to themovement of the straw in its travel along the cylinder. When they are inthe position shown in Fig. 4: they present a much greater obstruction tothe travel of the straw along the concave, and any adjustment be tweenthe two extremes may be arranged to produce the best results with thegrain under treatment. The travel of the straw should be regulated inaccordance with the character and condition of the straw. The bottom ofthe concave 32 is provided with perforations 33 through which thethreshed grain drops on to a shaking screen 34 actuated by an eccentric35 and from the screen 34 some part of the grain drops on to a floor 36and is carried to the outlet 37 and some other part drops into theshaking cross trough 38 whence it may be delivered at the side of themachine, if desired.

The several movable parts are all driven either directly or indirectlyfrom the lower belt wheel 12, and the system of belting by which theseveral movable parts are reached and driven does not form any part ofthis invention and may be made in any approved way.

That I claim is 1. In a threshing machine, in combination with a housinghaving a conical interior longitudinal of the machine provided withspirally arranged teeth and a feed opening at the smaller end, arotatable shaft extending longitudinally thereof, a conical shellmounted on said shaft within said housing, blades arranged spirally ofsaid shell in position to engage close to the said teeth on the housingwhen the shell is rotated and to form a spiral passage lengthwise of thehousing and shell, and fans located within the cylinder, adapted tothrow a current of air along the axis of the cylinder, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a threshing machine, in combination with a housing having aconical interior longitudinal of the machine and provided with spirallyarranged and inwardly extending teeth and a feed opening at the smallerend, a conical shell engaging therein, blades arranged spirally on saidshell in position to engage close to the said teeth when the shell isrotated thereby forming a spiral passage lengthwise the housing andcylinder, a plurality of spiders supporting the periphery of saidcylinder and having fan blades attached to their arms, and a rotatableshaft whereon said shell is mounted, substantially as described.

3. In a threshing machine, in combination with a cylinder havingspirally arranged blades and teeth, and a housing with concave interiorprovided with spirally arranged teeth to correspond with the teeth ofthe cylinder, a plurality of retarding fingers adjustable at differentangularities across the spiral passage formed by the said teeth,substantially as described.

4. In a threshing machine, in combination with a housing having aconcave interior, a shell rotatably mounted therein and provided withinteracting projections arranged to give to it an auger-like periphery,and a retarding bar having a plurality of fingers adjustable todifferent angularities across the auger-like periphery of the cylinder,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

ALBERT REASON.

Vvitnesses CHARLES F. BURTON, VIRGINIA C. SPRATT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

